I broke my shoulder about 3 months ago. I have had to attend the Fracture Clinic at my suburban Toronto hospital – initially every week, then after three weeks, then after six weeks, three months and six months.

1. When I arrive at the hospital, I go to the Fracture Clinic, where I take a number (like at the deli) in order to be seen by the receptionist.

2. After waiting 10 to 20 min., the receptionist then takes my information confirms that I have an appointment. She sends me on to the X-ray department.

3. When I get to the X-ray department, I stand in line to see the receptionist. After waiting 10 to 15 min., I give her the paper that I had received on the previous visit and am told to sit down.

4. I then wait in the waiting room for an indeterminate length of time (usually at least 30 min., but on Monday it was over an hour) until someone comes and calls my name, and leads me to a chair outside one of the X-ray rooms.

5. I then sit in the chair and wait to be called into the X-ray room. This wait time is usually at least 15 min, but on Monday was 30 min. That’s if I am led to the correct X-ray room, which isn’t always the case.

6. The X-ray takes approximately 2 to 3 min.

7. I then go back to the Fracture Clinic, tell the receptionist that I have had the X-ray, and sit down to be called to see the orthopedic surgeon. I usually wait at least 10-15 min.

8. Then my name is called, and I am led by a nurse to a small consultation room, where I sit and wait for the orthopedic surgeon to see me. I usually wait about 5-10 min.

9. The orthopedic surgeon sees me for approximately three minutes.

10. We then rebook for the next time, and I am absurdly given an actual appointment time by the volunteer in the hallway outside the consultation room. I’m not even sure what the reason for giving the appointment times is. They have no relation at all to the time that I’m actually seen.

I am an employed professional. While I am sitting in the waiting rooms (three hours waiting for 5 minutes of treatment), I cannot make phone calls, send e-mails, connect to the Internet, or do anything that might be even remotely productive or enjoyable. On Monday, I was reduced to reading a magazine that was clearly targeted at new mothers.

I can’t even go to the Tim Horton’s in the hospital itself, for fear of losing my place in line and thus extending my wait time. So revenue opportunities for the hospital – and me – are lost. I think the only beneficiary is the hospital parking lot, which needs more space to accommodate all the cars of people waiting inside, and charges a very high price, comparable to downtown Toronto.

If I kept my clients waiting and treated them like the health system treats me, I would quickly have no clients at all and would have a laughingly bad reputation.

Our health system is an example of a monopoly provider that assumes that something must be in the interest of the provider in order to also be in the interest of the consumer, and that change is therefore bad unless it suits the needs of the provider.

I would gladly pay something – perhaps double the cost of the parking fees that I’m spending as a result of the extra waiting — to be given the opportunity to participate in a more efficient and customer-focused system. For those who would prefer not to pay something, let them sit in the waiting rooms for three hours without the ability to make phone calls, e-mails or anything – and pay the parking.